Methods of installation

This really is a grey complex area. Different people have different ideas and techniques for fixing which leaves the customer confused. Described below are the different methods.

Glue or stick to concrete

The most common used method of fixing timber to a concrete screed is to bond the timber with a flexible adhesive to a properly prepared screed. The screed should firstly be checked for moisture and have an R.H of less than 75%.

The screed should also be perfectly level in all directions. Then we apply two coats of an epoxy resin liquid damp proof membrane DPM.

When the second coat is still wet we cover the floor with kiln dried sand and when the DPM drys and the excess sand is removed, we are left with a very gritty surface to bond our flooring on to. If the floor was not originally level, this is the point at which we self level the floor to make it perfectly flat.

We then use a full trowel adhesive over the entire screed for the new flooring. We recommend using Uzin 480 DPM and Uzin 92s two pack adhesive as we believe these far out perform anything else on the market.

Nailing

This is where a nail is driven into the side of the board just above the tongues. It is a barbed flat nail so as not to split the wood and is flexible to allow for expansion. It is only recommended for flooring up to 4 3/4" wide

Screwing and plugging

This is the oldest and by far the most successful method of securing plank flooring. It is also the most time consuming and labour intensive, making it the most expensive.

I always use a beefy no 12 screw that has been case hardened for strength and zinc coated for resistance to corrosion. They are more expensive but in the long run they are a safe bet. This method of installation is essential for any width of any timber over 4 3/4 wide.

Face nailing

This consists of driving a nail or cleat through the face of the plank into a wooden sub floor or joist at regular intervals.

This method can be unsightly as you see row after row of nails and can cause a of extra work when it comes to resanding the floor as all the nails have to be punched into the floor by hand before sanding can begin.

The expansion gap

Although kiln dried and machined into flooring, because it is a natural material, timber will expand and contract with the seasons. You are unlikely to see this expansion with the naked eye, but it will occur, and failure to accommodate can cause the floor to cup or pop.

An expansion gap of 2.5mm for each metre width of the floor must therefore be left around the entire perimeter of the room. This is created during the fitting process by inserting wedges between the edge of the floor and the wall. These are removed upon completion, and can either be left empty and covered by skirting board or beading, or filled with strip cork when butting up against fireplaces, stairs etc.